According to negotiating lore, the legendary Clarence Darrow
would insert a thin wire lengthwise through his cigar to throw his
opponents off during key negotiations. As his stogie smoldered down
to a butt, his adversaries would become increasingly distracted,
wondering why the ash didn't fall.

Whether you're playing the negotiation game with good sports
or bad, everyone is looking for an edge. If you're not careful,
these classic ploys can jinx your game:

1. Today only. Few good deals have to be done yesterday.
Skillful deal-making requires careful deliberation, goal-setting
and communication from both sides. A phony deadline short-circuits
all that by trying to scare you into a quick close on your
opponent's terms.

Whenever you're given a "today only" deadline,
test it: Press the other side for a detailed, plausible
explanation, but be skeptical of what you hear. Ask for an
extension to see whether their reaction fits that explanation. If
you can, contact an expert in that industry or an insider for
additional verification. Consider becoming suddenly
"unavailable" or preoccupied. Or, if you feel gutsy, just
call their bluff. If you do lose out, remember what one of my
clients used to say: "A good deal is like a bus. Another one
will come along in 15 minutes."

2. Rope a dope. "Stay in one room. Lock all the
doors. Don't eat. Don't drink. Don't go to the bathroom
until you've got a deal," says banking baron Hugh McColl.
Obviously, negotiating those big deals late into the night on
unfamiliar turf takes stamina. But you should also watch out for
the sneak attack--for example, the opponent who dulls you with wine
and rich food the night before. At the bargaining table, the race
doesn't go to the swift, but to the strong. No matter how long
you've been at it, once you lose your concentration and start
to falter, you'll lose your shirt as well.

3. The withdrawn offer. You've been bantering for a
good while. At $50 per unit, the deal is acceptable, but you're
sure you can haggle it down to $45. Then, for whatever reason, the
seller comes back and says $60 is the best he can possibly do!
Forget about $45--you're thinking you'll be lucky to close
at $50 . . . and that foxy seller knows it.

Because it blows a hole in your aspirations after you've
mentally closed a deal (and made yourself more vulnerable), this
maneuver can be tremendously effective. Whether you decide to
counter it by reviewing your absolute bottom line, protesting,
demanding new and tastier concessions, asking questions to expose
the ruse or walking away altogether, awareness of this tricky
tactic can strengthen your continued defense.

4. Dirty data. Is the other side feeding you bad
information? Stooge intermediaries, the vicious rumor mill,
off-the-record asides or "leaked" confidential memos are
all designed to use your own cleverness against you. So be
unrelentingly critical of everything you hear.

Trickier still are documents, financials or specs with errors
you suspect are deliberate. They place you in an ethical hall of
mirrors. Oh, sure, it's easy enough to correct the mistakes in
their favor. But what about the ones in your favor? Have they been
planted? Is your opponent planning to catch them just in time? Or
are they simply testing your honesty? Of course, the more obnoxious
your adversaries, the more you'll want to take advantage of
their errors. Resist that temptation. Fight fairly. Always
proofread. Be sure to crunch your numbers. Don't worry. If
you're a strong negotiator, you can make a good deal without
relying on a sucker punch.

A speaker and attorney in Los Angeles, Marc Diener is the
author of Deal Power: 6 Foolproof Steps to Making Deals of Any
Size (Owl Books/Henry Holt). You can reach him at MarcDiener@aol.com.